According to the World Bank, 55% of the world’s population lives in cities, compared to 34% in 1960. And the growth is not stopping. This, together with the rise in sea level due to climate change, has made many cities have to rethink their urban planning. Tokyo is an example of this. Now his government has launched an initiative to create a futuristic mini-city in his bay, on land reclaimed from the sea. Something similar to the “Neo-Tokyo” that the animated film showed us Akira.
The project. Called the Tokyo Bay eSG Project, its goal is the creation of a high-tech sustainable city. “No one lives on the land we plan to use, so we can start from scratch instead of disrupting everyday life for citizens,” Manabu Miyasaka, a former president of Yahoo Japan Corp who is now working on the project, explained in this Bloomberg article. . His plan is to extend a parcel of unused land in the middle of the bay with 1,000 hectares.
Sustainability. The important thing is to do things right. That is why from the beginning they want to address solutions to the challenges facing major cities: technologies to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the plans, fuel cell ships and clean energy generated by solar installations and vertical turbines will be included, even in typhoon-type winds. And carbon capture, water purification and recycled plastics are also being considered.
Everyone wants to be part of the project. Construction will begin testing next year and there are already 55 companies that have registered to be part of the project. Game maker Konami and broadcaster TV Asahi have said they would build offices, entertainment spaces, studios and stores nearby. Toyota has also announced plans to build a new sports stadium.
totally futuristic. Six years ago, the global architecture firm KPF already proposed its vision of what “Next Tokyo” would be, a vision for the Japanese city in the year 2045 when a 1,700-meter tower and an ecological mini-city float in Tokyo Bay and provide a home for half a million citizens. All this while addressing the city’s climate vulnerability by providing coastal defense infrastructure. This tower, the Sky Mile Tower, would be the tallest skyscraper in the world.
It will be made up of different residential groups (islands) and large hexagonal rings will be erected that will provide freshwater areas, such as reservoirs, beaches, ports, and extensions dedicated to agricultural cultivation. “Next Tokyo” also plans to take advantage of next-generation technology like Elon Musk’s Hyperloop to transport people to Tokyo, as well as a MULTI magnetic levitation elevator that ThyssenKrupp is currently developing.
Images: Tokyo Metropolitan Government